


Only Fools

by TheRealBurgerKing



Category: ARMY - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Coming of Age, M/M, fairy tale story, inspired by the duet Namjoon and Jungkook sang
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-14
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-08-23 16:51:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16622729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRealBurgerKing/pseuds/TheRealBurgerKing
Summary: A fairy falls in love with a human.A human grows up and forgets his childhood friend.A fairy is left behind, heartbroken.





	1. 7 Years

**Author's Note:**

> _Oh, our lives don't collide, I'm aware of this_
> 
>  
> 
> _Only fools fall for you, only fools  
>  Only fools do what I do, only fools fall_
> 
>  
> 
> _Everything is shattering and it's my mistake_

    Kim Namjoon ran out into the yard, arms outspread like wings. His high, happy giggles rang back to his proud parents, watching from the doorway. Namjoon’s hyung, Seojoon, followed behind the excited 7-year-old, stuffing their lunches in his backpack and waving goodbye to their mother and father. The pair were heading out to explore the forest beside the house they had just moved into. Namjoon turned to him with a smile brighter than the sun, and Seojoon prepared himself for the imminent barrage of questions. “Hyung! What d’you think we’ll see? Birds? Mice? Bugs? Elephants? Frogs?-”

    Seojoon put out a hand to stop the flood. “Slow down, buddy. We’ll see lots of pretty birds and bugs. Maybe if you look really carefully, you might see some mice or frogs. There probably aren’t any elephants, though. I don’t think they have those in the wild here. But you can keep your eye out for them.” Seojoon grinned at his little brother.

    Namjoon looked down at his feet and wrung his little hands. He remembered what his new friend Seokjin had told him earlier. He debated whether he should bring it up to his brother. Namjoon plucked up his courage and asked, in an almost-inaudible whisper: “Hyung, do you think we’ll see fairies?”

    “Huh?”

    “Do you think we’ll see fairies?”

    “…What?”

    “DO YOU THINK WE’LL SEE FAIRIES?!”

    Seojoon was quiet for a moment as he gazed at his brother, carefully choosing his words. Namjoon was a sensitive little boy, and Seojoon hated making him cry. “What makes you think there are fairies here?”

    Namjoon thought a moment before responding. “Well, my friend Kim Seokjin told me. He lives next door. He said that there is a clan of fairies living in this forest. They take care of all the animals and plants.”

        Seojoon nodded. “That sounds about right. Maybe we will see them. But we have to be quiet, and be gentle with the plants. The fairy clan won’t be very happy if we hurt them.” Namjoon stared up at him in amazement, and nodded resolutely. He held onto Seojoon’s hand, and gently brushed past all branches hanging in his way.

    The two brothers had been walking for awhile now. Namjoon squealed when he noticed the meadow ahead. Letting go of Seojoon, he ran to it, bursting out into a field of wildflowers and sunlight. He giggled happily as he spun in circles, arms outstretched. Seojoon watched, a small smile on his lips. “Namjoon! Nam-ah, let’s take some flowers home for Eomma!” Namjoon turned, a nervous frown set on his lips. “Don’t worry, Nam-ah. I don’t think the fairies will mind.” Seojoon smiled, confidence radiating from him.

    Namjoon trusted his brother, so he nodded and moved off to find some flowers. However, as he wandered, he spotted a pretty, yellow-and-black butterfly. Although he tried to stay on task, he followed the butterfly as it flitted from flower to flower. He held several flower stems tightly in his fist. Namjoon was so focused on staying with the butterfly that he didn’t notice when they had left the meadow and re-entered the forest. That is, until the butterfly disappeared into the canopy and Namjoon realized he was lost.

    The little boy turned in circles, searching the thick trees for his Seojoon hyung. The previously bright and cheery forest was now dark and scary. Namjoon backed up until he hit a tree, whereupon he slid down to sit and curled his legs close to his body. He buried his face in his arms and whimpered, wishing he was home with his mother and father and hyung.

    Suddenly, something soft rubbed against his arm. Raising his head, he spotted - a rabbit. The little bunny stood up on its back feet, placing one forepaw on Namjoon’s arm, its little nose twitching. “Hey little guy.” Namjoon dropped his head closer to the bunny. It stretched up and rested its other paw on Namjoon’s cheek. The bunny licked Namjoon’s nose with its scratchy tongue, as though comforting him. “I’m gonna call you… Thumper.”

    Thumper turned and hopped away, his little tail flicking with each hop. After a moment, Thumper turned back, twitching his ear, as though asking ‘Are you coming?’ Namjoon pushed himself up and followed the bunny. They travelled awhile before arriving at a clearing.

    Namjoon peeked into the open space. He was shocked by what he saw. He rubbed his eyes - was he dreaming? Before him sat a winged boy his age, perched atop a rock. Namjoon gaped. Was this one of the fairies Seokjin had told him about? The boy glanced at him and spread his wings. They were the most beautiful (and only) set of wings he had ever seen (on a human). Shades of every color in the universe glittered in his wings.

    The boy fluttered down in front of Namjoon, his movement not unlike a butterfly’s. “Hello.” The boy’s voice was high and melodic.

    “Who are you?! Are you one of the fairies Seokjin told me about?! Wow! This is awesome! Except I’m lost, which isn’t that great, but everything will be okay in the end!” Words flowed out of Namjoon’s mouth like a river. He was a bit embarrassed, but he couldn’t stop himself.

    The boy smiled. “My name is Jungkook. I’m a butterfly fairy. I can turn into a butterfly. A yellow-and-black one, to be specific.”

    Namjoon gasped. _Black-and-yellow butterfly?!?_ “That was you?! The butterfly who got me lost! You did that!”

    Jungkook folded his arms across his small chest and frowned. “Actually, I was watching you. My mum called me, so I had to go. It’s not my fault you followed me.”

    Namjoon stomped his feet. “Help me get out of here! My family will be freaking out!”

    Jungkook arched an eyebrow. “I can’t help you if you ask like that. Didn’t your parents teach you to ask politely?”

    Namjoon suppressed a growl of annoyance. “Fine. If you won’t help me, I’ll find my own way out.” He spun around and strode back into the forest. He quickly regretted it, though. The forest seemed to close in around him, threatening to swallow him up. But he wasn’t about to run back to Jungkook.

    A swishing sound came from above him, and Jungkook landed in front of him. Without turning to face Namjoon, the butterfly fairy spoke. “Follow me, I’ll lead you out. I don’t want to be responsible for you wandering around here until you die.” The fairy’s morbid words definitely didn’t match his cute baby face.

    Jungkook wordlessly led Namjoon through the forest, over hills, around trees, to the edge. Namjoon could see his home. The 7-year-old took an inventory of his possessions, searching for something to give Jungkook in gratitude. All he had was a tissue, a water bottle, and the flowers. 

    Oh yes, the flowers.

    “Jungkookie! Thank you for helping me. I hope we can be friends?” Namjoon held out the flowers, shyly staring at his hands.

    Jungkook accepted the flowers, his chubby cheeks turning pink. “No problem… I’d like that.” He smiled.

    Namjoon started toward his home, but stopped. He turned back to find Jungkook still watching him. He noticed that the flowers, which had begun to wilt, now stood straight and healthy. “Jungkookie, how do I find you? Where do you live?”

    Jungkook smiled again. “Just walk into the forest and call my name. I will join you a few minutes later.”

    Namjoon nodded. He heard his father calling him. He turned and ran into the open arms of his parents and hyung.

    As they walked into the house, Namjoon paused and looked back. Jungkook was gone, but a large yellow-and-black butterfly sat on a branch.

    As Namjoon watched, the butterfly fluttered off and disappeared into the leaves.


	2. 8 Years

    Namjoon paced through the forest. “Jungkookie! Jungkookie, are you here?” The forest was silent, with the occasional bird call. The young boy stuck his hands in his sweatshirt pocket and thought about the past year. His parents had recently been questioning him about why he spent so much time in the forest beside their house. He didn’t really know what to tell them. He couldn’t just tell them about Jungkook, now could he? In the end, he just said that he enjoyed looking at the animals and plants. He knew they didn’t believe him, but that didn’t matter. Anything to keep their suspicions at bay. He would never willingly give up meeting the butterfly fairy.

    He was pulled from his thoughts by a light weight on his head. In an attempt to see, he rolled his eyes back. Of course, he didn’t see anything. Instead, he heard a laugh that sounded like the tinkling of bells. He blinked, and before him stood Jungkook. The fairy grinned mischievously and Namjoon shook his head. “Jungkook, what did you do?” He reached his hands up and his fingers brushed over something both soft and hard. His eyebrows shot up and he looked at Jungkook in surprise. 

    Taking it off his head, Namjoon realized - it was a flower crown. “My mother and sisters were making a bunch. So I made one too. For you. I hope you like it.” The fairy had his hands stuck behind his back, and he stared at his feet, cheeks turning pink. 

    Namjoon smiled widely. “I love it! It’s so pretty!” Jungkook smiled back, his chubby cheeks returning to their natural pale color. “So, what do you want to do today? I was thinking maybe we could show each other how our individual uh, species has fun?” Namjoon winced at his bad suggestion, but Jungkook was nodding.

    “That sounds good. You go first.” Namjoon wasted no time in charging for the stream, grabbing Jungkook’s hand as he passed. The pair ran through the forest, hand in hand. The murmuring of the running water slowly grew louder as they approached until they were standing on the riverbank. 

    “Okay, Jungkookie. I’m going to teach you something that my father taught me and my hyung.” Namjoon hunted along the bank, eyes narrowed and focused. Jungkook watched him curiously, head tipped to the side slightly. Namjoon quickly found what he was looking for: a handful of small flat rocks. “Okay, Jungkook. Watch me.” With a quick flick of his wrist, Namjoon sent the first stone skipping across the river. It hopped once, twice, a third time, before sinking, leaving ripples in its place.

    Namjoon turned to Jungkook, finding the fairy staring at him with big eyes. “Come, I’ll teach you. See, you have to hold the stone just like so, then you snap your wrist, and let it fly! You try!” Jungkook took the offered stone from Namjoon’s hand, and flipped it just like how Namjoon had shown him. At first, the rock just sunk the first time, but after a couple more times, the stone skipped twice. Namjoon threw his arms up in the air. “Yay! Jungkookie, you did it! You learned so quickly.”

    Without thinking, Namjoon wrapped his arms around Jungkook. The fairy stiffened, but when Namjoon didn’t let go of him, he awkwardly returned the hug. But only for a second. Shoving his friend off of him, Jungkook turned back to the forest. “Okay, Nam-ah. My turn.”

    Together, they journeyed back into the dark trees. Jungkook was turning his head, as though looking for something. He stopped suddenly. “Nam-ah, I’m going to tell you a secret. But you can’t tell anyone, okay?” When the other boy nodded, Jungkook leaned over, putting his mouth directly beside Namjoon’s ear. “My Appa and Uncles were talking about there being some sort of buried treasure somewhere in this forest. I ‘borrowed’ the map my father was talking about, so it should tell us where to find it.” The fairy grinned at the human boy, a conspiratorial glint in his eye. As if in afterthought, he reached up and fixed Namjoon’s flower crown.

    Jungkook pulled out a brown folded paper, and opened to show - a sketch of the forest, with trails and the river marked on it. On one side of the map, near the river, was a circle, with words in an unknown language written beside it. Jungkook pointed at the circle. “See this? X marks the spot.” He grabbed Namjoon’s hand and took off, his flapping wings sometimes lifting him off his feet. 

    “This is it? X marks the spot.” Jungkook stamped around a certain spot on the river. Although he and Jungkook had walked basically the entire stretch of the river, Namjoon had never seen this particular spot. “Let’s get started!” Jungkook pulled a pair of shovels from the bushes and tossed one to Namjoon.

    Namjoon stared at the shovel in surprise. Where had it come from? He couldn’t believe Jungkook could just pull objects from out of nowhere. “No, silly. I hid these here a couple days ago. Next time we met, I would have brought you here, so we could find the buried treasure together.” Jungkook his head as he spoke, as though he couldn’t believe Namjoon would even consider something as foolish as that.

    Jointly, they dug for hours. Surprisingly, they didn’t get distracted, focused on their digging. After some time, Namjoon peered up at the setting sun. “Oh… I have to go home now…”

    Jungkook looked up at him from his own hole. “Oh, okay… We’ll continue next time?” Namjoon nodded excitedly. 

    Jungkook walked with Namjoon out of the forest. His eyes stuck to him like glue as the human boy opened his door and turned back to wave. Instead, he found an empty forest edge. His heart sank with disappointment and slipped inside, hoping to avoid any attention from his family.

    “Nam-ah, where did you get that flower crown?”


	3. 16 Years

A warm breeze rustled through the tree leaves, carrying with it the faint perfume of Korean Lilac and cherry blossoms. Spring was here, and everything was alive again. Baby leaves nestled amongst older leaves in the trees, little unopened buds were sprinkled over the bushes and shrubs. A pregnant rabbit slowly hopped through the clean grass, nibbling here and there. Her mate sat nearby, watching her with one eye and their surroundings with the other. New life was abound in the ancient forest.

The breeze ruffled the dark black hair of the young man perched in a tree, his colorful wings lazily fluttering open and closed. Jungkook was waiting, as he had been for the past half hour. Where was Namjoon? He was never this late.

Jungkook shook his head and took off from his branch. If Namjoon wasn’t going to come to him, he might as well go to Namjoon himself - just to check if he was okay, of course. With a snap of his fingers, Jungkook’s image faded away and he soared through the air, invisible and silent.

Jungkook had planned to take Namjoon to the crystal caves on the far edge of the forest. It was a special occasion - Namjoon was turning 16! Of course, Jungkook had mentioned the caves to Namjoon before, but they had never had the chance to go before. Jungkook hoped he could impress Namjoon, a surprise for his birthday. But apparently, Namjoon had other ideas.

As Jungkook soared above the power lines, he searched the streets around Namjoon’s house. He didn’t have to go far though. A block down the street, he spotted bright orange hair - Namjoon’s new color. Jungkook prepared to sweep down and smack the boy’s head. Maybe tweak his ear. But Jungkook stopped short halfway. _Who’s that?_

There was a new person next to Namjoon, arm linked with his. The boy was handsome and they seemed close, heads together as they talked quietly. Jungkook pursed his lips as he glided along behind them, calculating eyes taking in their proximity and attitudes. _A bit close, aren’t they._

The pair were headed to town, probably to go on a date. _Namjoon forgot me?_ Jealousy seeped into Jungkook’s veins. Namjoon had forgotten him, forgotten their proposed hang out, in favor of this- this _stranger_. Namjoon had so little time, now that he was in high school; he had _promised_ to meet Jungkook.

Now, Jungkook could throw a tantrum like a small child. But he wasn’t like that. He was grown, and he knew when he wasn’t enough. He knew that when feelings change, nothing good would follow. Was this his punishment? For falling in love with a human? Because there was no other explanation for his current heartbreak. _I love him._

Jungkook landed on a lamppost and watched as Namjoon walked away from him with the stranger, now hand in hand. _I can never have what they have._ Maybe he could have tried harder? _I’m only a simple fairy._ It wasn’t hard to fall for Namjoon. _It was stupid to consider…_

Jungkook shook his head and turned to head back to the forest. No point crying over spilled milk. He’d play his role as the forgotten-best-friend-who’s-in-love-with-the-lead in a kdrama. _This is my punishment, after all._

**Author's Note:**

> The chapters are titled in numbers.
> 
> They correspond with Namjoon's age at the time.


End file.
